Circadian clocks are endogenous molecular mechanisms that coordinate daily rhythms in gene expression, cellular activities, and physiological functions with external day/night cycles. Breakdown of circadian rhythms such as sleep/wake cycles is associated with the onset of several neurological diseases; however, it is not clear whether disruption of rhythms is a...
Hallmarks of aging include the accumulation of aberrant proteins and a lower resistance to stresses. Because the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) functions to fold proteins and possesses unique stress sensing pathways, the central hypothesis of this dissertation is that the ER is a target of cellular aging and significantly underlies these...
Oxidative stress occurs when the balance between reactive oxygen species and antioxidant defense mechanisms in the body becomes tipped heavily in favor of the reactive oxygen species. Reactive oxygen species can be present in excess due to elevated O2 levels, radiation, infection, smoking, or even excessive exercise. It is also...
Approximately 12% of Americans do not consume the amount of zinc equal to the Estimated Average Requirement for zinc and could be at risk for marginal zinc deficiency. Zinc is an essential component of proteins in the defense against oxidative stress and DNA damage repair. Specifically in the prostate, zinc...
Nuclear Factor, Erythroid Derived 2, Like 2 (NFE2L2 or Nrf2) is the primary transcription factor in cellular defense against oxidative and xenobiotic stresses in higher eukaryotes. This basic leucine zipper transcription factor regulates over 200 antioxidant, detoxification, and lipid metabolizing genes by binding to the Antioxidant Response Element (ARE; a...
Despite the advances in surgery, physical therapy, and pharmaceutical agents, muscle
dysfunction (i.e., atrophy and weakness) continues to impair recovery from an anterior
cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and surgery. Ischemia-reperfusion injury during surgery
and the subsequent limb disuse are two events experienced by patients having ACL
surgery. Oxidative stress and...